Orientales Omnes Ecclesiae - History of The Reunion

History of The Reunion

The Pope repeats assurances of his predecessors, that the oriental rites will be honoured. There will be no attempt by the Vatican to change or abandon them. The Pope reviews the history of the Ruthenian Church, which led to the unification with Rome. The Church was in disarray and needed reform and experienced decadence and abuses. Towards the end of the 16th century, it became obvious that there was no hope of achieving renewal and reform of the Ruthenian Church, except by restoring union with the Apostolic See. Prolonged and difficult negotiations were necessary before a unity application could be achieved in 1596. Pope Clement VIII, on December 23, 1595 met the emissaries. They read the declaration of all the bishops before the illustrious assembly and then in their own name and that of the other bishops made a solemn profession of faith and promised due obedience and respect.

At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the 20th century, economic conditions led to the emigration of many from Galicia to the US, Canada and South America. Pope Pius X feared, that these emigrants my loose heir religious identity and in 1907, appointed a bishop with special faculties for them. Later on, since the number and the needs of these Catholics were increasing, a special ordinary bishop was appointed for Galician Catholics in the USA, and another in Canada, besides the ordinary bishop for the faithful of this rite who had emigrated from Ukraine, Russia, Hungary or Yugoslavia.